Catching Up With...

Throughout Our Pages In 2003, We Reported On Numerous People As They Shared Their Triumphs And Tribulations. Today, We Revisit Them.

2 Souls, 2 Cultures -- 1 Baby On Way

January 1, 2004|By Jean Patteson, Sentinel Staff Writer

Prashant Singh Saini and Amber Lynn O'Baker -- now Mr. and Mrs. Saini -- will have two events to celebrate in June: the first anniversary of their marriage and the birth of their first child.

Prashant is a Sikh of Indian origin. Amber is Irish-American. In honor of her heritage, they were married in the First United Methodist Church in Oviedo on June 25. But that ceremony was preceded by a sangeet, a traditional Indian wedding-eve celebration complete with Indian food, music, dancing and blessings by a Sikh priest.

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"We wanted to integrate both cultures, [to have] the best of both worlds," said Prashant, a systems analyst at Oracle Corp., shortly before the cross-cultural union.

They continue to blend their two cultures. In December, they celebrated a traditional American Christmas with her parents, John and Bonnie O'Baker of Oviedo, and decorated their new home, also in Oviedo, with a tree and holiday lights. And whenever they visit his family, Gurdev and Kuljit "Jiti" Singh of Oviedo, they enjoy traditional Indian meals.

Amber, a former elementary-school teacher, is working as a secretary for Perla and Associates, an Orlando law firm. Her evenings, for the first few months after the wedding, were taken up with writing thank-you notes to the 300 friends and relatives who attended their wedding from opposite hemispheres, and mounting their sangeet and wedding pictures in photo albums.

So far, there have been no cultural clashes in the Saini household, says Prashant. But that could be because they haven't yet learned their baby's gender. Selecting names for a child of Indian-Irish-American parents could spark some lively discussions.